228 CONIFEROUS TREES 



is little short of a national calamity. The planting 

 of hard-wooded trees, such as the Beech, along 

 with the Larch is to be recommended as assisting 

 to keep the cankerous disease in bounds. On 

 warm gravelly soils the Larch is apt to become 

 '' pumped '' or rotten at the core. Larch timber 

 when old is of a reddish brown colour towards the 

 heart, the sapwood being yellowish white. It is 

 tough and strong, but is apt to shrink and with 

 a tendency to warp. 



As before stated, the demand for Larch timber 

 is greater than the supply, and since the war 

 started the price has materially increased. For 

 that of the best quality is. 6d. per cubic foot is 

 obtained, but the average price realised would 

 work out at about iid. per foot. 



Scotch Pine. — This is the only pine indigenous 

 to Britain, and from the fact that its chief native 

 habitat is the Northern Highlands, the name of 

 Scotch Pine has been derived. From the remains 

 of this tree that are found in the peat-bogs of 

 Scotland and Ireland, it is probable that in early 

 ages the greater part of Britain was covered by 

 pine forests. Be that as it may, no forest tree 

 of our acquaintance adapts itself more readily to 

 different soils and climatic conditions ; and though 

 named the Scotch Pine, it is by no means peculiar 

 to Scotland. It has a wide geographical range 

 throughout the northern part of the Eastern 

 Hemisphere. 



In lowland districts, where it is much used as 

 a nurse tree, forests composed entirely of the 

 Scotch Pine are rarely found, whereas in the 

 northern parts, up to 1500 feet altitude, planta- 



